The USA can potentially secure a spot in the knockout stage of the Copa America on Thursday when they face Panama in matchday two action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In their opening match, the tournament hosts had no trouble with Bolivia, winning 2-0, while Los Canaleros suffered a 3-1 defeat to Uruguay.

For over 80 minutes in their opening fixture, Panama was within striking distance before falling apart in the latter stages. Thomas Christiansen's men conceded two goals in the final five minutes of the second half plus stoppage time, marking consecutive losses for the second time this year. Since taking charge in 2020, the Danish manager has never suffered three successive defeats on the international stage, a streak that will be in jeopardy on Thursday.

After losing their final two matches in the 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League, Panama rebounded with two World Cup qualifying victories this month by a combined score of 5-1. However, a defeat against the USA, combined with a victory for Uruguay versus Bolivia, would eliminate Panama from the competition for the second time in two appearances. Panama has won two of their previous three meetings with the USA, most recently defeating them on penalties in the semi-finals of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In front of over 47,000 fans, the host nation gave their supporters an early cheer, scoring after three minutes and doubling their advantage just before the interval against Bolivia. In the first half, it was one-way traffic for the Yanks, managing 18 touches in the attacking box while the Bolivians had none.

Gregg Berhalter's men displayed moments of pure class, with the 50-year-old coach recording his 44th victory in charge, surpassing Bob Bradley for third all-time. Only Jurgen Klinsmann (55) and Bruce Arena (81) have more wins. This marked the Americans' third successive victory in the group stage of the Copa America and the third straight clean sheet in this portion of the competition.

Since a new rotational system was implemented to host this event in 1987, every host nation has advanced beyond the group stage. An American victory, combined with a Uruguayan win or draw, would ensure that streak continues. The USA has lost to Panama on home soil only once in normal time, a 2-1 defeat at MetLife Stadium during the 2011 Gold Cup group phase.

In their match against Uruguay, three new players started: Edgardo Farina, Jose Luis Rodriguez, and Adalberto Carrasquilla. Carrasquilla, who plays for the Houston Dynamo, is one of three players on this roster currently featuring for an American club, along with Omar Valencia (New York Red Bulls II) and Carlos Harvey (Minnesota United). Michael Murillo scored the lone goal in their defeat against Uruguay.

The average age of the USA starting 11 on matchday one was 25 years and 339 days. Joe Scally was the youngest at 21, while Tim Ream became the oldest American player to feature in this tournament (36 years and 261 days). Tyler Adams returned to the starting 11 for the first time since the March Nations League final against Mexico. Giovanni Reyna has started four consecutive matches for the Yanks. Folarin Balogun scored his fourth national team goal, while Christian Pulisic became the third American to score in five different competitions, joining Eric Wynalda and Clint Dempsey.

Panama has proven they can compete with top CONCACAF nations, but they may struggle against the Americans' youthful exuberance and intensity for 90 minutes. The USA's depth and attacking options are likely to give them the edge, but I think Panama can surprise.

美国有可能在周四的美洲杯淘汰赛中获得一席之地，届时他们将在亚特兰大梅赛德斯-奔驰体育场与巴拿马进行第二场比赛。在揭幕战中，东道主巴西与玻利维亚的比赛没有遇到任何麻烦，以2比0获胜，而Los Canaleros则以3比1输给了乌拉圭。

在首场比赛的80多分钟里，巴拿马队一直处于进攻距离之内，但在最后阶段却分崩离析。托马斯·克里斯蒂安森的球队在下半场最后五分钟加上补时阶段丢了两个球，这是今年第二次连续失利。自2020年上任以来，这位丹麦主帅从未在国际舞台上遭遇过三连败，这一纪录将在周四的比赛中岌岌可危。

在输掉了2023- 2024年北美和加勒比地区足球联赛的最后两场比赛后，巴拿马在本月的世界杯预选赛中以5-1的总比分取得了两场胜利。然而，如果输给美国，再加上乌拉圭战胜玻利维亚，巴拿马将在两届世界杯中第二次被淘汰出局。巴拿马在之前与美国的三次交锋中取得了两场胜利，最近一次是在2023年中北美和加勒比地区国际足联(CONCACAF)金杯半决赛中点球击败他们。

在47000多名球迷面前，东道主国家早早地为他们的支持者欢呼，在三分钟后进球，在对玻利维亚的中场休息前将优势扩大了一倍。上半场，洋基队的进攻是单向的，他们在进攻区内成功触球18次，而玻利维亚队一次也没有触球。

现年50岁的格雷格·伯哈尔特的队员们展现出了纯粹的一流水平，这是他执教以来的第44场胜利，超过了鲍勃·布拉德利，成为历史上的第三场胜利。只有克林斯曼(55胜)和阿雷纳(81胜)比他多。这标志着美国队在美洲杯小组赛中连续第三次获胜，同时也是美洲杯小组赛中连续第三次零封对手。

自从1987年实施了新的轮换制来主办这项赛事以来，每一个主办国都从小组赛出线。美国队的一场胜利，加上乌拉圭的一场胜利或平局，将确保这种连胜势头继续下去。在正常时间内，美国队只在主场输给过巴拿马一次，那是在2011年金杯小组赛阶段，美国队在大都会体育场2-1不敌巴拿马。

在与乌拉圭的比赛中，三名新球员首发:埃德加多·法里纳、何塞·路易斯·罗德里格斯和阿达伯托·卡拉斯奎拉。效力于休斯顿迪纳摩队的卡拉斯奎拉是目前效力于美国俱乐部的三名球员之一，另外两名是奥马尔·瓦伦西亚(纽约红牛II队)和卡洛斯·哈维(明尼苏达联队)。在对阵乌拉圭的比赛中，迈克尔·穆里略打进了唯一一球。

在比赛日第一天，美国队首发球员的平均年龄为25岁零339天。21岁的乔·斯卡利是最年轻的，而蒂姆·里姆则是参加本届锦标赛的年龄最大的美国球员(36岁零261天)。泰勒·亚当斯自三月国家联赛对阵墨西哥的决赛后首次重返首发11人名单。雷纳已经连续四场为洋基队首发。弗拉林·巴洛贡打进了他在国家队的第四个进球，而克里斯蒂安·普利西奇成为继埃里克·维纳尔达和克林特·邓普西之后，在五项不同的比赛中进球的第三位美国人。

巴拿马已经证明了他们可以与中北美和加勒比地区的顶级国家竞争，但他们可能要在90分钟内与美国人的年轻活力和紧张对抗。美国队的深度和进攻选择可能会给他们带来优势，但我认为巴拿马可以给他们带来惊喜。